Automatic firearm.



K. KRNK-A. AUTOMATIC FIREARM. APPLIOATION FILED ,JT-ILY 14,1909.

97 5 ,256, Patented Nov. 8, 1910.

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KARL KRNKA, OF HIRTENBERG, AUSTRIA-HUNGARY.

AUTOMATIC FIREARM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 8, 1910.

Application filed July 14, 1909. Serial No. 507,651.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, KARL KRNKA, engi neer, a subject of the Emperor ofAustria- Hungary, residing at Hirtenberg, in the Province of LowerAustria, Empire of fins trial-Hungary, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Automatic Firearms; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

The cartridge holding device is a wellknown mechanism of a magazine gun,whose purpose is to permit the cartridges in the magazine to rise to acertain height only, so that the cartridges are securely held in themagazine and are prevented from being thrown out at inopportune timeswhen the breech block is wholly withdrawn. On the other hand, a goodcartridge holder permits the complete unloading of the weapon (unloading the magazine) by applying pressure to the proper lever arm whichis set in motion so that the cartridges as they spring out may hegathered in by hand. As a matter of course, only such fire arms which donot have an exchangeable magazine, but have a fixed magazinearrangement, need a special cartridge holder. A cartridge holderordinarily consists of three parts, a lever, an

axis and a spring, and if a spiral spring be chosen, the cartridgeholder cannot be further simplified. A locking device for hand fire-armsfurther requires at least an equal number of parts, especially in thecase or" automatic rifles.

Under the term safety device for a firearm is, in the present case, tobe understood such mechanism which will permit the cocked firing pin ofa loaded weapon to be disengaged (rendered inoperative), to preventaccidental discharge. In emptying the magazine through the receiver ofthe weapon a holding device for the breech bolt is also required so thatthe latter may rest in its open position to allow the cartridge holderto operate. This device also requires three parts, including a spring.Thus the three separate above-mentioned devices ordinarily consistaltogether of nine parts, which according to this invention, are reducedto three parts, without a single complicated piece having to be made.

The invention therefore lies in the combining of the two (eventuallythree) of the above devices whereby the three constituting elements areformed into a single mechanism, whereas otherwise nine parts would haveto be used. This combined mechanism can be located at several differentparts of the breech casing as may be required by the particular methodof closing the breech, or the kind of weapon in question. It can be madeuse of for all magazines mounted centrally in the stock.

In my present application I have only described and shown those parts ofthe mechanism which are peculiar to the invention being described andclaimed. The other details illustrative of the action of the severalparts are illustrated and described in my applications Serial Number507,157, filed July 12, 1909, and entitled automatic fire arms, and myapplication Serial Number 507.402, filed July 13, 1909, and entitled,improvements in drum ma azines for fire arms.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which the same lettersand numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

vFigure 1 shows an end view and side elevation of the locking member,Fig. 2 shows an end view and side elevation of the cartridge holder,Figs. 3 and 4 two sections through the wea on immediately behind eachother, along the ines :cw of Fig. 5 and z -y of Fig. 7, respectively,Fig. 5 is a sectional plan of part of the weapon with the breech piececlosed and the striker in the fired position, the parts being in theposition shown in Fig. 3, Fig. 6 the same with the striker cooked andlocked, and Fig. 7 the same with completely opened and secured breechblock and charged magazine.

Figs. 1 and 5 show that the locking device 0 has retained the much usedflag shape; in this case, however, its rod or staff 30 serves as theaxis of the cartridge holder 2, as can best be seen from Figs. 5, 6 and7.

In Fig. 5 the safety device 0 is shown in its normal position, that is,in its unlocked position. Viewed from this horizontal position thesafety device 0 shows the form of a flag in which the axis of revolutionA resembles a fiag-stafi. This is a well-known form of safety device,and it is customary, therefore, in the technical language of gunnery tocall the part 0 a flag.

If in Fig. 3, the stock A be removed, the locking member 0 can be turneddownward, whereupon it can be entirely withdrawn from its position, thecartridge holderp moved from the receiver is, together with its spring14.

The segmental projections 36 and 37 of the locking member 0 prevent itsbeing removed or lost, as can be easily seen from the several drawings.

Figs. 3 and 5 show the parts in the same position.

The striker (Z has an enlargement a and lug 17, which are shown in thiscase in Fig. 5 in the fired position (Z) and 0 being parts of the breechblock). The parts 6 and c are not material to the present invention; 6being a common form of breech block and 0 is an operating handle to openthe cylinder and to wholly draw it back. In the position of the partsshown by Fig. 5, the looking member 0 cannot turn, as its projection 37is prevented from doing so by the part 21. This part 11 is areinforcement of the firing-pin (Z so that the same may possess a collarof the old well-known form, to be used at times as striking piece orfiring pin nut, and is therefore a part present in nearly all weaponshaving cylindrical breech blocks and always possesses a retracting nose17 (Fig. 3).

In Fig. 6 the striker d is drawn back and locked by rotating the flagthrough 90 so that the projection 36 holds back the enlarged part asecured to or made integral with the striker (Z. At the same time theprojection 37 prevents the opening of the breech block b by locking thepart 0 thereof against rearward travel.

Fig. 7 illustrates the method of using the locking member 0 when thecharged magazine is to be emptied.

After the breech closing piece has been completely drawn back, thelocking member 0 is turned into the securing position whereby itsprojection 3'7 is )laced in front of the head a, of the breech b ock sothat on pressing the head of the cartridge holder p inward or againstthe action of the spring "u (see Fig. 4-) the receiver being inverted,and the contents of the magazine can be collected in the hand. Theprojection 36 of the looking member could also perform this duty, andfor this purpose therefore, one of the projections 36, 37 might beconsidered superfluous, but both of them, however, are desirable for ifthese two projections were to be united to form one, this would requiretoo large a recess in the receiver. This locking member which serves twopurposes can therefore only be turned when this is re quired to be done.1

In order to secure the flag in its unlocked and locking positions, sothat no Hmovement can take place in consequence of shocks to the weapon,the projection 36 is provided with a suitable small raised end piece 38having small inclined faces, can be seen from Fig. 1 of the drawing,which eifect the above purpose in a well known way although by newmeans, namely, the locking and securing operations causing the strikerto be cocked a little further. It should also be observed that the rodor staff of the flag or looking member 0 could of course be insertedalso as a separate spindle.

The forms in which the parts 0 and 2; may be carried out are of minorimportance to the invention, as they may be constructed in differentways without any change in its nature.

I claim as my invention 1. In a magazine fire-arm, the combination withmeans for feeding the cartridges to the chamber, of a pivoted lockingdevice adapted to engage the breech block and striker, and the cartridgeholder journaled on the said locking device, substantially as described.

2. In a magazine fire-arm, the combination with means for feeding thecartridges to the chamber, of a pivoted locking device provided with twoarms adapted to engage the breech block and striker, and the cartridgeholder journaled on the said locking device, substantially as described.

3. A combined locking and cartridge iolding mechanism for fire-arms,comprising a locking device 0 and a cartridge holder 7;, having the sameturning axis as said locking device, substantially as described.

4:. A combined locking and cartridge holding mechanism, comprising thelocking device 0, having two segmental projections 36 and 37 adapted toengage the breech block in the retracted position and to permit theemptying of the cartridge chamber, substantially as described.

A combined locking and cartridge holding mechanism, comprising thelocking device 0, having two segmental projections 36 and 37 adapted toengage the breech block in the retracted position and to permit theemptying of the cartridge chamber, and a spring impressed cartridgeholder journaled on said locking device, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

KARL KRNKA.

WVitnesses JULIUs T. FIFFER, ROBERT WV. HEINGARTNER.

